Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The latest Huffington Post "as a Jew" Israel hating blogger is Matthew Schneider, a 21 year old college student from Florida Atlantic University. He declares in his blog post that "it's time for justice in Palestine" but all the blog post really does is damage control from the fallout of the eviction notices his SJP chapter posted on doors, which we covered here.

While it is unremarkable that the Huffington Post is publishing nothing more or less than pure Palestinian propaganda, the blog post is valuable because it reminds us of the time of tactics Palestinian apologists use so we can recognize them in the future and better combat them.

Schneider's essay does start out from an understandable place, the SJP posted fake eviction notices on students' doors, and a misinterpretation of one news article lead to articles like the one we found which claimed that only Jewish students had eviction notices placed on their doors. This was not the case, and Schneider is completely justified in complaining about that dishonest characterization of his group's actions. But of course, like all Palestinian apologists, he takes the shred of decency and truth and pushes it well beyond where it could reasonably take him:

"Over the past two weeks, I have watched as my group members and I were slammed with ridiculous accusations of anti-Semitism from many dozens of popular news sites and blogs. I have watched as people labeled our initiative a "hate crime" despite presenting only information from apparently reputable sources. I have watched as our SJP President and group members received death threats because of our belief that everyone deserves human rights, and because of lies published about us around the world. Rumors circulated that we had posted the notices specifically targeting Jewish students, an assertion as ridiculous as it was inflammatory. The comments posted in media were telling. We were, according to these misinformed and blatantly biased individuals, all Muslim, Palestinian, anti-Semitic terrorists. They wanted us expelled, deported, and in a couple of cases, dead." (emphasis mine)

Why can't Schneider take his win and get out? Why does he have to spin what happened to pretend to be a greater victim than he is? No one had a problem with SJP because they "believe everyone deserves human rights" (even though they don't), they had a problem with SJP because they believed SJP was targeting Jewish students for the actions of the state of Israel. If SJP was targeting Jewish students, then they were being anti-Semitic and deserved some of the criticism they were getting. It's really too bad Schneider couldn't be a little more understanding of the other side.

Schneider then talks about his own Jewish identity (which I don't care about) and publishes some Palestinian propaganda about house demolitions. But then he shows us what SJP is all about:

"Claims were made that our group was trying to scare, provoke, intimidate, or offend students by posting these fliers. The fact of the matter is this: the truth is not pretty. It should take nothing less than the truth to open the eyes of our fellow students. That was our intention; nothing more, nothing less. You'd be surprised how powerful the truth is in proving a point. And the truth is that, our complicity as Americans in human rights violations against Palestinians is costly and unjust."

He responds to the claims that SJP was trying to scare, offend, etc. students by saying they were only telling "the truth" and trying to "open the eyes of the students." But they weren't telling the truth. The eviction notices were fake. Schneider and the SJP intentionally deceived their fellow FAU students in order to push a political point. Thinking you're about to be evicted is definitely intimidating and provocative, and you'll note that Schneider does not deny that was the goal of SJP. Just like the Palestinian terrorists they love, SJP is willing to use bullying and intimidation to push their agenda.

Schneider then whines about the amount of aid that the US gives to Israel and then goes for the victim card:

"Some would say that my involvement with SJP makes me a "self-hating Jew" or anti-Semitic. This is at best insulting, and at worst a shocking display of ignorance and a glaring inability to empathize with other human beings. To blindly accept the decisions of the Israeli government merely because Israel has been touted as the "Jewish homeland" is patently inexcusable. It is unconscionable to turn a willful blind eye to the human rights violations perpetrated by the Israeli government and military on the basis of faith in a Jewish nationalistic ideal."

This kind of hypocrisy is ridiculous. If it's unconscionable to turn a blind eye to human rights violations perpetrated by Israel, it is equally unconscionable to turn a blind eye to Palestinian human rights violations, which Schneider does every day he retains membership at SJP. Criticizing Jewish nationalism while supporting Palestinian nationalism is equally hypocritical.

And why would being involved with SJP make someone anti-Semitic? Just because SJP spends all its time hating the Jewish state and the idea that Jews are a nation with a right of self determination doesn't mean SJP has anything against Jews! Perish the thought!

Schneider wraps up with another insane display of cognitive dissonance:

"I am Jewish. I am pro-human rights. There is no reason why my identity and this view cannot be compatible. Our group did what we believed was an effective way to spread awareness for this troubling issue. Although there was plenty of negative coverage, the support has been even more overwhelming. Our trouble is insignificant compared to the injustices faced daily by Palestinians living in Israel and Occupied Palestine. They are human beings. SJP exists to advocate for their human rights. This will not change. I hope SJP's message of this severely misrepresented issue reached our fellow FAU students' consciences."

If Schneider wants to use this method of "pro-human rights" and supporting people because they are "human beings," then he cannot take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Because both sides commit "human rights violations," both sides suffer "injustice" and both sides have "human rights." Protesting Israeli house demolitions while ignoring rockets from Gaza is all well and good if you are a Palestinian propagandist, but for a "human rights advocate" to do that is an exercise of blatant dishonesty and hypocrisy. Which pretty much sums up what SJP is all about.

It's a shame that Schneider and company cannot simply say "we are pro-Palestinian" rather than "we are pro-human rights". I guess that's because without the dishonest victim card, there is absolutely no reason why any moral person would support the Palestinians.

1 comment:

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The Internet news website the Huffington Post has become a home to a subsect of commentators expressing anti-Israel hate speech and anti-Semitism. We are two brothers dedicated to exposing these people and revealing their hatred, as well as dismantling some of their arguments. If you would like to help us, you can comment on the posts or contact us at huffpomonitor@gmail.com .